1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of allowing a printing apparatus to process a job which requires use of a holding function of holding job data to be processed in a storage unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
To commercialize a printing system or printing apparatus adaptable to a print environment such as a POD (Print On Demand) market, a job holding function to be included in such a system or apparatus has been examined now. This function holds, in a memory, job data to be printed and makes it printable in response to a request from an operator.
That is, approaches to commercialize a printing system or printing apparatus adaptable to a print environment such as a POD market have currently been underway (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-165722). The following studies have also been conducted to cope with use cases assumed in a print environment such as a POD market.
For example, a print shop that represents the customers of a printing system or printing apparatus adaptable to a print environment such as a POD environment can have a need for using a printing apparatus without using the job holding function. In this case, a need for disabling the function of the printing apparatus is expected. That is, in making approaches to commercialize a printing system or printing apparatus adaptable to a print environment such as a POD market, how to meet user needs or cope with user cases expected in the further has been examined.
However, in the course of above-described examinations, the following problems newly arise. For example, a printing apparatus having the job holding function can be adapted to allow an external device capable of data communication with the printing apparatus to input, to the apparatus, job data which requires use of the job holding function. In this case, even when the job holding function is disabled on the printing apparatus side, the external device can continuously input, to the printing apparatus, jobs which require use of the job holding function without any hindrance.
Assume that as a solution to this problem, for example, the printing apparatus is adapted to restrict printing itself of the job data which requires use of the job holding function when the function is disabled. Even with this arrangement, however, the job data which requires use of the job holding function remains in the memory, and this new problem may remain unsolved.
As another possible problem of the holding function, if a job is already stored, and the holding function is disabled in this state, the data that will never be used remains in the storage unit.
As described above, for example, even if the holding function is disabled on the printing apparatus, it may be impossible to place restrictions on the external device side. At this time, on the printing apparatus side where the holding function is disabled, display related to the holding function is turned off on the operation window. However, the external device such as a computer may successively save the print data of hold jobs which require use of the holding function in, for example, a memory of the printing apparatus to be used in the holding function without knowing the situation on the printing apparatus side.
As described above, to commercialize a printing system or printing apparatus adaptable to a print environment such as a POD market, of the job holding function to be included in the system or apparatus have been examined, though there is room for further study. Additionally, the storage area may be wasted.